Man avoids death penalty in Thomasville homicide

Friday

Mar 8, 2013 at 3:15 PM

The Davidson County District Attorney's Office will not seek the death penalty against a man charged in a January homicide in Thomasville.

BY DARRICK IGNASIAKThe Dispatch

The Davidson County District Attorney's Office will not seek the death penalty against a man charged in a January homicide in Thomasville.Eric Allen Whisnant, 28, of High Point, appeared in Davidson County Superior Court on Friday morning wearing an orange jumpsuit and handcuffed. He showed little to no emotion as he was escorted into the courtroom by a Davidson County sheriff's bailiff for his Rule 24 hearing.Judge Mark Klass set Whisnant's new secured bond at $750,000 after Assistant District Attorney Greg Brown announced the state would not seek the death penalty. The county grand jury indicted Whisnant on Feb. 11 for first-degree murder and habitual felon.The murder charge stems from the death of 47-year-old Darrell Wayne Turner. If convicted of the crime, Whisnant would serve life in prison.Thomasville police responded to 815 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive at 2:47 a.m. Jan. 19 in regard to a stabbing. Officers found a man lying in a parking lot with a stab wound to his abdomen.Turner was transported to Thomasville Medical Center where he died from his injuries. Police later charged Whisnant with murder.The defendant in murder cases, as is the case with Whisnant, is held under no bond until there is a Rule 24 hearing to decide whether he will face the death penalty, Brown said. For the case to be capital, some of the criteria includes the murder had to be committed during the course of a burglary, rape or robbery, a law enforcement officer was killed during the offense, the murder was heinous, atrocious and cruel or the defendant caused risk of death to more than one person by a hazardous weapon, Brown said."None of those were present," the assistant district attorney said as he discussed Friday's ruling. Brown recommended Klass set the $750,000 secured bond. Whisnant's attorney, Lori Hamilton Dewitt, urged the judge to set a lower bond."He is indigent, and the setting of any substantial bond is probably going to be beyond his means," the defense attorney said in court. "That's why we ask the judge to take that into consideration."In return, Brown reminded Klass that Whisnant had been charged with first-degree murder and also indicted under the charge of habitual felon. The assistant district attorney then proceeded to read a long list of Whisnant's convictions. Those included the burning of personal property, probation violation, injury to personal property, carrying a concealed weapon, possession of drug paraphernalia, misdemeanor assault, a domestic violence conviction and misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury. Brown also explained Whisnant had multiple counts of robbery with a dangerous weapon reduced to either misdemeanor larceny or larceny from a person."This defendant is just 28 years old and has developed a substantial violent history," Brown said. "The state would ask the court for a $750,000 secured bond.""I understand that this is a very serious charge on the face of what the state has presented," Dewitt responded. "$750,000 might as well be ($)750 trillion. I ask that you consider something lower than that because in all likelihood he isn't going to make even a $100,000 secured bond, something more reasonable than $750,000."Brown then responded to Dewitt's statement."It appears to be certain that he is a danger to the community, and the record shows that," he said.Klass then set the bond at $750,000.Several members of Turner's family attended Friday's court proceeding.Outside of the courtroom, Hazel Glasgow identified herself as the mother of Turner's four children, ages 20, 18, 17 and 15. She said her youngest son saw the act that led to his father's death. That son appeared in the courtroom as well and declined an interview, saying he doesn't like to talk about that day."It's hard," Glasgow said. "I have four kids, grandkids and the rest of my life to go without my kids having their dad."While Dewitt wanted a lower bond, she was pleased with the state not seeking the death penalty."I think the state made the right decision in determining it wasn't a noncapital case," she said. "We will deal with it from here on."The tentative date for Whisnant's trial is set for May 13. However, that date is subject to change as Brown explained he has another murder trial set for May 20, the 2011 case involving a triple homicide in Thomasville set for mid-September and a third murder case in Davie County on Dec. 2.Darrick Ignasiak can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 217, or at darrick.ignasiak@the-dispatch.com.